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Moovo

Streaming

Moovo is download-first, and that doesn't change. Streaming is an optional shortcut on top: start watching while the download finishes. It's the same download, fetched in the order you watch it, so when the movie ends you have a normal download that plays offline like any other.

Streaming came with version 1.1 of the app and the server. This page explains how it works.

Only after a quick connection test

Nobody sees a Stream button until a short test says this device, on this network, can keep up. After you sign in, the app offers the test once ("Maybe later" is fine). If you pass, streaming turns on; if not, everything simply downloads as before.

The app checks again now and then in the background, never while you're playing or downloading. If your connection gets worse, streaming hides itself again with a note, and comes back when a test passes. You can see the result, and test again, in Settings → Playback → Streaming.

When it works

  • At home, it's always fine. On the same network as the server, streaming is always available.
  • Away from home, it depends on three things: your download speed, your server's upload speed, and the quality of the title. A 4K movie needs much more than an episode of a sitcom.

The Stream button only shows on a title when all three add up. Sometimes it says Stream · starts in ~3 min: the app downloads a head start first, sized so the movie never has to stop, then starts on its own. Download instead is always there.

In Watch Together

It's automatic. Someone whose copy isn't ready can still join if their connection allows it: the lobby shows "can start in about N minutes" next to their name.

It never speeds up or skips to catch up. If someone streaming runs short, the room pauses briefly and shows Waiting for Maya (buffering) with a countdown. If that runs out, the movie carries on for everyone else and Maya joins again where the room is.

For the owner

Streaming uses your server's upload, so you decide how much. In Admin → Settings → Streaming:

  • Let people stream, or turn it off for everyone.
  • At most how many people can stream over the internet at once (home network streams don't count).
  • When someone is buffering in Watch Together: wait up to 20 seconds, up to a minute, or keep playing.
  • Home upload speed: Moovo learns it from real downloads, or you type it. An optional speed test is off by default.

The same card shows who is streaming right now.